Dip a toe into any contemporary cultural anthropology, and it’s clear that the current state of dating (mostly for heterosexual people) is a mess. Men won’t commit, women’s standards are too high, dating apps are toxic, and no one is having any sex, according to the data. It’s not looking good, but maybe all we need is a good old fashioned “come to Jesus” moment — some honesty, some catharsis and some forced vulnerability, by any means necessary.

Writer/director Sophie Brooks imagines such a scenario in her incisive, insightful and very funny “Oh, Hi!,” which expertly toes the line between dating dramedy and thriller, in a self-contained story of relationship reckoning that takes place over the course of what starts out as a romantic weekend away.

Molly Gordon, who also has a story credit on the screenplay and produced the film, stars as Iris, a hopeful young woman on her way to an upstate New York vacation with her new boyfriend Isaac (Logan Lerman). Wine, food, intimacy — it’s early days, but so dreamy and idyllic, nothing could possibly go wrong. Isaac doesn’t quite get when she’s joking, and he hasn’t opened up that much, but he’s affectionate and deeply attentive.

However, all it takes is a spicy sexual encounter involving handcuffs to derail everything. While he’s still chained to the bed frame, Isaac admits that the situation is just casual dating for him, not a relationship. Hurt and horrified, Iris leaves him locked up as retribution, and after a night of frantic Googling, decides she’ll keep him there until they work out their issues and he realizes they should be together. It’s like “Misery” for millennials, but without mallets.

The funny thing about Isaac — and the reason why he remains chained up — is that he can’t even commit when he’s afraid for his life, thereby becoming an active participant in his own captivity. Even as he’s attempting to placate and soothe the manic Iris, he’s unwilling to say anything that she might hold him to later. Her bestie Max (Geraldine Viswanathan), who arrives to save Iris from this predicament with her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds), accurately diagnoses Isaac as a “soft boy”: he wants all the affection and intimacy of a relationship, but none of the commitment.

Turns out a certain kind of man would rather be held captive than offer a sincere apology. Their arguments come down to semantics and willful misunderstandings. Neither one of them wants to come off poorly, so they aren’t honest and forthright about their needs and wants. Turns out, the kidnapping just might work, because they’re forced to let their guard down.

Brooks allows Gordon to display all of her unique charms as an actor, as the weird, sexy, unhinged and deeply relatable Iris. As a filmmaker of unconventional relationship comedies (e.g., her first feature “The Boy Downstairs”), Brooks celebrates the quirky, prickly heroines who demonstrate thoroughly modern anguish about matters of the heart.

As an actress, Gordon has cannily helped to create opportunities to inhabit characters that allow her to show off her distinctive sense of humor. After breaking out in “Shiva Baby,” she co-directed and starred in the hilarious ensemble comedy “Theater Camp,” and had a role on “The Bear,” but with “Oh, Hi!” she proves herself as a proper romantic leading lady. She is as beguiling and vulnerable as our favorite rom-com heroines of yore, but lets her freak flag fly in a way that is utterly refreshing.

“Oh, Hi!” is a comedy about the perils of dating that involves S&M, nude witchcraft and a stomach-turning recipe for French toast. And while it is sharply written, Brooks also helms the film with a stylish precision that utilizes the remote rental cabin setting to its fullest extent. She lures us in with a dreamy romantic fantasy al fresco: sexy swims in the pond, reading in Adirondack chairs, slow-dancing under a tree strung with fairy lights. As the mood shifts, and Isaac is relegated to the bed, she emphasizes the claustrophobic architecture of the Shaker-style home with oddball tableaus and horror-style camera angles.

In this cautionary tale about rehabilitating an F-boy, and tangling with a “crazy” woman, a dater might find humor, relief, or most importantly, recognition. Brooks’ screenplay cuts to the quick, and she doesn’t romanticize it either. Both Iris and Isaac might not get what they want, but they get what they need: a little respect, and a whole lot of honesty, and in this dating world, that’s the most precious commodity of all.

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'OH, HI!'

3.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for sexual content/some nudity, and language)

Running time: 1:34

How to watch: In theaters July 25

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